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Zendikar goes on sale October 2, 2009 with many official launch parties taking place this Saturday. We have for your convenience and reference today a re-post of the WoTC Zendikar Primer Videos and some key-word abilities and themes for this new Magic the Gathering set. You may also wish to read the Zendikar Frequently Asked Questions which we posted HERE.~
Landfall
* Landfall is an ability word. It appears in italics at the beginning of an ability that triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control.
* When a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one that resolves.
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Quests* "Quests" is the nickname for a set of _Zendikar_ enchantments that reward you for certain achievements while playing the game.
* Each quest has two abilities. The first ability triggers whenever a certain condition happens and puts a quest counter on the enchantment as a result. The second ability works only if there are a certain number of quest counters on the enchantment.
* The second ability of each rare quest doesn't require you to remove any counters from it or sacrifice it. The counters and the enchantment will just stay put.
* Once there are enough counters on a quest for its second ability to work, there's usually no particular need to add more counters to it with its first ability, though you are free to do so.
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Traps
* Trap is a new subtype that appears on instants. Although the subtype Trap has no specific rules meaning, each Trap has an alternative cost you can pay to cast it if a certain condition has been met.
* You may ignore a Trap's alternative cost condition and simply cast it for its normal mana cost. This is true even if its alternative cost condition has been met.
* Casting a Trap by paying its alternative cost doesn't change its mana cost or converted mana cost. The only difference is the cost you actually pay.
* Effects that increase or reduce the cost to cast a Trap will apply to whichever cost you chose to pay. This is true even if the Trap's alternative cost is {0}.
* The alternative cost condition of most Traps checks for an action that has happened in the past. For example, Baloth Cage Trap checks to see if an opponent had an artifact enter the battlefield under his or her control this turn. It doesn't matter if that permanent is still on the battlefield or is still an artifact, and it doesn't matter if that opponent is still in the game. If that action happened at some point during the turn, Baloth Cage Trap can be cast for its alternative cost.
* If the alternative cost condition of a Trap checks to see if a number of actions have happened involving an opponent over the course of the turn (such as "if an opponent had three or more cards put into his or her graveyard from anywhere this turn"), those actions may have occurred separately. In this case, the three cards don't need to have been put into the opponent's graveyard all at once; it's okay if they were put there for different reasons at different times. All such actions must have involved the same single opponent, though.
* If a Trap checks to see if multiple events have happened over the course of a turn, it will individually count different events involving the same physical card if that card has changed zones between events. That's because it becomes a new object, with no relation to its previous existence, when it changes zones. For example, if the same physical creature card entered the battlefield, left the battlefield, then returned to the battlefield all in the same turn and all under an opponent's control, that opponent had two creatures enter the battlefield under his or her control that turn.
* The alternative cost condition of some Traps checks the number of creatures that are attacking as the spell is cast. For example, Arrow Volley Trap checks to see if four or more creatures are attacking. Once you cast a Trap like this, it doesn't matter whether its condition remains true. For Arrow Volley Trap and the other Traps like it, it doesn't matter how many creatures were declared as attackers, only how many are attacking as you cast it. It doesn't matter if all the attacking creatures are controlled by the same player. It also doesn't matter who controls the attacking creatures, so you can cause their alternative cost conditions to be true . . . but that means they'll affect your own attacking creatures.
* Ally (rhymes with "shall I") is a new creature type. Allies are good at teamwork: Nearly every Ally has an ability that triggers whenever it or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control.
* Some Allies, such as Nimana Sell-Sword, have abilities that put +1/+1 counters on them. These abilities trigger when they enter the battlefield themselves, so even though Nimana Sell-Sword will enter the battlefield as a 2/2 creature, it will become a 3/3 creature almost immediately. But they'll be more vulnerable to instants and abilities while their triggered abilities wait to resolve.
* Some Allies have abilities that, when they resolve, grant an ability to all Allies you control. These affect only Allies you control at the time the ability resolves.
* Some Allies have abilities that, when they resolve, do something based on the number of Allies you control. These count the number of Allies you control as they resolve.
* When an Ally enters the battlefield under your control, each applicable triggered ability of the Allies you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one that resolves.
* If more than one Ally enters the battlefield under your control at the same time due to some spell or ability, they'll all see each other enter the battlefield. For example, if two Nimana Sell-Swords enter the battlefield at the same time, each one's ability will trigger twice (once for itself and once for the other one), and they'll each wind up as 4/4 creatures.
Intimidate
* Intimidate is an ability that makes attacking creatures hard to block.
* Intimidate looks at the current colors of a creature that has it. Normally, Bladetusk Boar can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or red creatures. If it's turned blue, then it can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or blue creatures.
* If an attacking creature has intimidate, what colors it is matters only as the defending player declares blockers. Once it's blocked, changing its colors won't change that.
* Artifact creatures can block creatures with intimidate no matter what colors either of them are.
* A multicolored creature with intimidate can be blocked by any creature that shares a color with it, in addition to artifact creatures. For example, a white-blue creature with intimidate can be blocked by white creatures and/or blue creatures, no matter what other colors they are.
* A colorless creature with intimidate can be blocked only by artifact creatures. It can't be blocked by colorless nonartifact creatures. In fact, a colorless nonartifact creature can't block a creature with intimidate at all.
Kicker
* Kicker is an ability originally seen in the _Invasion_(TM) block. It represents an additional cost, and may appear on any type of card that can be cast as a spell.
* You kick a spell as you cast it. You declare whether you're going to pay a kicker cost at the same time you'd choose a spell's mode, and then you actually pay it at the same time you pay the spell's mana cost. Kicking a spell is always optional.
* You can pay any particular kicker cost only once. You can't pay it multiple times to "pump up" the effect.
* Some instant and sorcery spells have an additional effect if they were kicked. Other instant and sorcery spells have a different effect if they were kicked. Read these cards carefully: If they include the word "instead," the second effect replaces the first. If they don't include the word "instead," both the first and second effects occur.
* Some permanents with kicker enter the battlefield with counters on them if they were kicked. Other permanents with kicker have "enters the battlefield" triggered abilities that check whether they were kicked. These look at whether they were kicked when cast as a spell. If not, the ability doesn't trigger at all. If such a permanent is put onto the battlefield as the result of a spell or ability, there's no opportunity to kick them.
* If a permanent has a targeted "enters the battlefield" ability that triggers if it was kicked, the target isn't chosen until the permanent enters the battlefield and the ability triggers (as opposed to when that permanent was cast). That means that sometimes you may wind up targeting something you don't want to. For example, say you cast a kicked Heartstabber Mosquito, which has the ability "When Heartstabber Mosquito enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy target creature." In response to the Heartstabber Mosquito spell, your opponent sacrifices his or her only creature. When the Mosquito enters the battlefield, its ability triggers, and you must choose a target for it. If no one else controls any creatures, you must target one of your own -- possibly Heartstabber Mosquito itself.
* Kicker costs don't change a spell's mana cost or converted mana cost.
* If a kicked spell is copied, the copy is also kicked.
* Older cards with kicker were printed with abilities that had the text "if you paid the kicker cost" or "if its kicker cost was paid." Cards that were printed with that text have received errata in the Oracle card reference so they now say "if it was kicked." The cards work the same way they always did; these abilities have their effects if the player decided to pay the kicker cost, not necessarily if the listed cost was actually paid.
* Trap is a new subtype that appears on instants. Although the subtype Trap has no specific rules meaning, each Trap has an alternative cost you can pay to cast it if a certain condition has been met.
* Casting a Trap by paying its alternative cost doesn't change its mana cost or converted mana cost. The only difference is the cost you actually pay.
* Effects that increase or reduce the cost to cast a Trap will apply to whichever cost you chose to pay. This is true even if the Trap's alternative cost is {0}.
* The alternative cost condition of most Traps checks for an action that has happened in the past. For example, Baloth Cage Trap checks to see if an opponent had an artifact enter the battlefield under his or her control this turn. It doesn't matter if that permanent is still on the battlefield or is still an artifact, and it doesn't matter if that opponent is still in the game. If that action happened at some point during the turn, Baloth Cage Trap can be cast for its alternative cost.
* If the alternative cost condition of a Trap checks to see if a number of actions have happened involving an opponent over the course of the turn (such as "if an opponent had three or more cards put into his or her graveyard from anywhere this turn"), those actions may have occurred separately. In this case, the three cards don't need to have been put into the opponent's graveyard all at once; it's okay if they were put there for different reasons at different times. All such actions must have involved the same single opponent, though.
* If a Trap checks to see if multiple events have happened over the course of a turn, it will individually count different events involving the same physical card if that card has changed zones between events. That's because it becomes a new object, with no relation to its previous existence, when it changes zones. For example, if the same physical creature card entered the battlefield, left the battlefield, then returned to the battlefield all in the same turn and all under an opponent's control, that opponent had two creatures enter the battlefield under his or her control that turn.
* The alternative cost condition of some Traps checks the number of creatures that are attacking as the spell is cast. For example, Arrow Volley Trap checks to see if four or more creatures are attacking. Once you cast a Trap like this, it doesn't matter whether its condition remains true. For Arrow Volley Trap and the other Traps like it, it doesn't matter how many creatures were declared as attackers, only how many are attacking as you cast it. It doesn't matter if all the attacking creatures are controlled by the same player. It also doesn't matter who controls the attacking creatures, so you can cause their alternative cost conditions to be true . . . but that means they'll affect your own attacking creatures.
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Allies* Ally (rhymes with "shall I") is a new creature type. Allies are good at teamwork: Nearly every Ally has an ability that triggers whenever it or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control.
* Some Allies have abilities that, when they resolve, grant an ability to all Allies you control. These affect only Allies you control at the time the ability resolves.
* Some Allies have abilities that, when they resolve, do something based on the number of Allies you control. These count the number of Allies you control as they resolve.
* When an Ally enters the battlefield under your control, each applicable triggered ability of the Allies you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one that resolves.
* If more than one Ally enters the battlefield under your control at the same time due to some spell or ability, they'll all see each other enter the battlefield. For example, if two Nimana Sell-Swords enter the battlefield at the same time, each one's ability will trigger twice (once for itself and once for the other one), and they'll each wind up as 4/4 creatures.
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Intimidate
* Intimidate is an ability that makes attacking creatures hard to block.
* Intimidate looks at the current colors of a creature that has it. Normally, Bladetusk Boar can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or red creatures. If it's turned blue, then it can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or blue creatures.
* Artifact creatures can block creatures with intimidate no matter what colors either of them are.
* A multicolored creature with intimidate can be blocked by any creature that shares a color with it, in addition to artifact creatures. For example, a white-blue creature with intimidate can be blocked by white creatures and/or blue creatures, no matter what other colors they are.
* A colorless creature with intimidate can be blocked only by artifact creatures. It can't be blocked by colorless nonartifact creatures. In fact, a colorless nonartifact creature can't block a creature with intimidate at all.
Kicker
* Kicker is an ability originally seen in the _Invasion_(TM) block. It represents an additional cost, and may appear on any type of card that can be cast as a spell.
* You can pay any particular kicker cost only once. You can't pay it multiple times to "pump up" the effect.
* Some instant and sorcery spells have an additional effect if they were kicked. Other instant and sorcery spells have a different effect if they were kicked. Read these cards carefully: If they include the word "instead," the second effect replaces the first. If they don't include the word "instead," both the first and second effects occur.
* Some permanents with kicker enter the battlefield with counters on them if they were kicked. Other permanents with kicker have "enters the battlefield" triggered abilities that check whether they were kicked. These look at whether they were kicked when cast as a spell. If not, the ability doesn't trigger at all. If such a permanent is put onto the battlefield as the result of a spell or ability, there's no opportunity to kick them.
* If a permanent has a targeted "enters the battlefield" ability that triggers if it was kicked, the target isn't chosen until the permanent enters the battlefield and the ability triggers (as opposed to when that permanent was cast). That means that sometimes you may wind up targeting something you don't want to. For example, say you cast a kicked Heartstabber Mosquito, which has the ability "When Heartstabber Mosquito enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy target creature." In response to the Heartstabber Mosquito spell, your opponent sacrifices his or her only creature. When the Mosquito enters the battlefield, its ability triggers, and you must choose a target for it. If no one else controls any creatures, you must target one of your own -- possibly Heartstabber Mosquito itself.
* Kicker costs don't change a spell's mana cost or converted mana cost.
* If a kicked spell is copied, the copy is also kicked.
* Older cards with kicker were printed with abilities that had the text "if you paid the kicker cost" or "if its kicker cost was paid." Cards that were printed with that text have received errata in the Oracle card reference so they now say "if it was kicked." The cards work the same way they always did; these abilities have their effects if the player decided to pay the kicker cost, not necessarily if the listed cost was actually paid.
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